FOOTBALL 2014: Spread offense changes running backs roles

Published 6:45 pm, Saturday, August 23, 2014

Midland Christian football coach Greg McClendon works with his team during practice Friday. James Durbin/Reporter-Telegram

Midland Christian football coach Greg McClendon works with his team during practice Friday. James Durbin/Reporter-Telegram

Photo: James Durbin

FOOTBALL 2014: Spread offense changes running backs roles

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Midland Christian head coach Greg McClendon remembers the moment his offense began to shift.

In a 2009 playoff game against Plano Prestonwood Christian, the Lions four and five-wide sets tore through the Mustang’s defense en route to a 42-23 victory -- Presntonwood Christian’s first step toward the 2009 TAPPS Division II state championship.

But for Midland Christian it may have proved more beneficial. The loss opened McClendon’s eyes toward the benefit of the spread attack.

I told coach Dub Huckabee, “If we ever have the personnel to do that, I want a package of that,” McClendon recalls.

Five years later that single set has evolved into one of the most effective offenses in the state, notching three straight TAPPS Division II state titles along the way.

Midland Christian, like many schools across the country, has seen a more traditional power offense transform into a high-tempo, spread attack. And West Texas is no exception to the movement.

Over the last decade the championship systems that defined the area, the wing-T of Odessa Permian and the wishbone and I-formation of Lee, have given way to empty sets and quarterbacks who toss the ball 40 times a game.

Perhaps, the most notable change the spread caused in West Texas football dynamics is the diminished role of running backs. At one time, backs defined football in the area. Wahoo McDaniel ran through defenses in the ‘50s, etching his name in Texas lore. Shawn Crow and John Williams encapsulated the smash-mouth attitudes of the Permian dynasty in the late ‘80s and ‘90s. And Cedric Benson’s shadow still looms large over Midland after leading Lee to a trio of state titles.

But Benson, who graduated in 2001, appears to be the final workhorse of a dying breed in West Texas. No longer are 2,000-yard rushers the premium way to find success offensively, now it’s strong armed quarterbacks from the backfield and the wideouts on the outside that define offensive systems.

But according to Lee head coach James Morton, running backs are still valuable. His starting tailback, Aron Dobbins, ran for 1,021 yards and 11 touchdowns last year. But he’s also a capable weapon split out of the backfield, reeling in 290 yards and four touchdowns receiving. It’s a new role for running backs, and one that requires more than the ability to plow downhill.

“They have to be more multidimensional,” Morton said. “What separates (Dobbins) from others, not only can he catch the ball out of the backfield but he can go vertical and catch the ball.”

Morton said multi-talented running backs provide more headaches for opposing defenses. Instead of expecting a counter or a dive 60 percent of the plays, the running back in the spread forces the defense to contend with both the run and pass -- options that can be done in both power and pass-first formations.

Andrews head coach Ralph Mason, who offensively employs the “Air Raid”; said running backs aren’t “dead.” They just have an altered role that allows them to effect the game in multiple ways.

“The difference is how many times he touches the ball,” Mason said. “Their runs may not be four yards and cloud of dust any more. Now they might be for 40 or 70 yards because it’s a more wide open game.”

Touches may not be as frequent as in the past for backs like Dobbins, but a significant role remains for workhorse backs. And if another Benson does walk in the door, Morton is confident the game hasn’t evolved too far past his skillset.

“If Cedric walks back in the door, I’m sure we can make it work,” Morton said with a laugh.